Short Answer Type Questions
Short Answer Type Questions
Chapter 10: Colonialism and the Countryside
(CBSE Class 12 | NCERT Aligned)
1. What is the central theme of the chapter Colonialism and the Countryside?
Answer:
The chapter examines British agrarian policies and their impact on the Indian countryside and peasant life.
2. Why were British officials interested in controlling the countryside?
Answer:
The British aimed to secure regular land revenue and strengthen colonial administration.
3. What assumptions did British officials make about Indian agriculture?
Answer:
They believed Indian agriculture was stagnant and needed European-style reforms.
4. What was the Permanent Settlement?
Answer:
It was a land revenue system that permanently fixed revenue demand with zamindars.
5. Who introduced the Permanent Settlement?
Answer:
The Permanent Settlement was introduced by Lord Cornwallis.
6. In which regions was the Permanent Settlement implemented?
Answer:
It was implemented in Bengal, Bihar, and parts of Orissa.
7. What were the main objectives of the Permanent Settlement?
Answer:
To ensure fixed revenue and create a loyal class of landowners.
8. How did the British expect the Permanent Settlement to improve agriculture?
Answer:
They expected zamindars to invest in land improvement due to ownership rights.
9. Why did many zamindars fail under the Permanent Settlement?
Answer:
High and rigid revenue demands made timely payment difficult.
10. What happened when zamindars failed to pay revenue?
Answer:
Their estates were auctioned by the colonial government.
11. How were peasants affected by the Permanent Settlement?
Answer:
Peasants faced high rents, eviction, and loss of customary rights.
12. Why did the Permanent Settlement fail to improve agriculture?
Answer:
Zamindars focused on revenue collection rather than agricultural investment.
13. What was indigo and why was it important to the British?
Answer:
Indigo was a dye crop in high demand in European textile markets.
14. Where was indigo cultivation mainly carried out?
Answer:
It was mainly carried out in Bengal and Bihar.
15. Who controlled indigo cultivation?
Answer:
European planters controlled indigo cultivation.
16. What was nij cultivation?
Answer:
It was a system where indigo was grown on planter-owned land using hired labour.
17. Explain the ryoti system of indigo cultivation.
Answer:
Under this system, peasants were forced to grow indigo on their own land.
18. What was dadni?
Answer:
Dadni was an advance given to peasants to compel indigo cultivation.
19. Why was indigo cultivation harmful to peasants?
Answer:
It exhausted soil and reduced land available for food crops.
20. What led to the Indigo Revolt?
Answer:
Forced cultivation, exploitation, and planter oppression led to the revolt.
21. When did the Indigo Revolt take place?
Answer:
The Indigo Revolt took place in 1859–60.
22. How did peasants resist indigo cultivation?
Answer:
They refused to grow indigo and destroyed indigo plants.
23. What was the nature of the Indigo Revolt?
Answer:
It was largely non-violent and based on collective resistance.
24. How did the colonial government initially react to the revolt?
Answer:
It initially supported the European planters.
25. What was the Indigo Commission?
Answer:
It was a government inquiry set up to investigate indigo cultivation abuses.
26. What was the outcome of the Indigo Commission?
Answer:
It criticised planter oppression and supported peasant grievances.
27. What impact did the Indigo Revolt have on indigo cultivation?
Answer:
Indigo cultivation declined sharply in Bengal.
28. What are colonial archives?
Answer:
They are official records maintained by colonial administrators.
29. Why did the British maintain detailed records?
Answer:
To assess revenue, control land, and govern rural society.
30. What kinds of documents are found in colonial archives?
Answer:
Revenue records, surveys, maps, and official correspondence.
31. Why do colonial records reflect bias?
Answer:
They represent the colonial officials’ viewpoint, not peasant experiences.
32. Why must historians read colonial archives critically?
Answer:
Because they often justify colonial policies and ignore exploitation.
33. How did colonial policies affect peasant livelihoods?
Answer:
They increased poverty, indebtedness, and insecurity.
34. What happened to customary rights of peasants under colonial rule?
Answer:
Customary rights were weakened or ignored.
35. How did commercialisation of agriculture affect peasants?
Answer:
It exposed peasants to market risks and reduced food security.
36. What link existed between colonial policies and famines?
Answer:
Revenue pressure and cash crops reduced food availability.
37. What forms of resistance did peasants adopt?
Answer:
Refusal, petitions, protests, and collective action.
38. How does this chapter help in understanding colonial rule?
Answer:
It shows how economic policies reshaped rural society.
39. What does the chapter teach about historical sources?
Answer:
It teaches that sources must be interpreted critically.
40. Why is this chapter important for CBSE board exams?
Answer:
It combines agrarian history with source-based analysis.